The Interval at Long Now

The Interval at Long Now Serving coffee, tea & cocktails in a museum of mechanical wonders & thousands of books. Home of The A bar, cafe, museum, event venue, and library.
(508)

The Interval at Long Now is a social venue and the home of The Long Now Foundation. It's a place to enjoy a cocktail or coffee, see a thought-provoking lecture, browse shelves of great books, learn more about Long Now's projects, and have amazing conversations. We are a public space as well as a gathering place for Long Now fans, friends, and members.

How will AI shape our understanding of ourselves?Join us next week for a Long Now Talk from K Allado-McDowell on Neural ...
02/20/2025

How will AI shape our understanding of ourselves?

Join us next week for a Long Now Talk from K Allado-McDowell on Neural Media, February 25, 7 PM at the Cowell Theater at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture.

K's work as a technologist, writer, and musician has explored how our technocultural media regimes shape our creativity and self-perception. Against the backdrop of climate change and mass extinction, neural media like AI present unique challenges and opportunities. K has pioneered neural media, founding the Artists + Machine Intelligence at Google and writing books and composing operas in collaboration with non-human agents. Their work has tested the limits and potentials of these new technological forces. K Allado-McDowell’s work confronts those opportunities with deep engagement, forging a path ahead to a merging of planetary, computational, and human perspectives.

Interval Decennial.This summer marks the ten year anniversary of The Long Now Foundation’s bar, cafe, and event space — ...
06/21/2024

Interval Decennial.

This summer marks the ten year anniversary of The Long Now Foundation’s bar, cafe, and event space — The Interval. To commemorate The Interval’s Decennial, we’re reimagining The Interval as not just an award-winning cocktail bar, but as an exhibition on long-term thinking.

Over the past decade, The Interval has become a hub for long-term thinking, a home for Long Now Talks, and a gathering place for great conversation and connection.

But The Interval could be so much more. That’s why we’re excited to announce that we’re re-opening The Interval this September with a brand new exhibition featuring artifacts from Long Now’s history and a vision for our future.

The exhibition will tell the story of long-term thinking in a way that connects deeply with both long-time Long Now members and with first-time visitors to The Interval for whom these concepts might be entirely new.

At the core of the exhibition is a painting by Casey Cripe illustrating the long now: the past 10,000 years and the 10,000 years to come.
The Interval will close on Wednesday, August 21 to install the new exhibition and reopen on Saturday, September 7. We also hope you’ll join us on September 14 and 15 for The Interval Decennial Member Weekend. Become a Long Now member to learn more.

Whether you’re a regular at The Interval or still looking forward to your first visit, we’re excited to welcome you to our reimagined home for long-term thinking.

Link in Bio for excellent article and details about the Decennial by >

A place for conversation.If you sit for a drink, or a date, in one particular leather-bound nook across from the bar , y...
05/16/2024

A place for conversation.

If you sit for a drink, or a date, in one particular leather-bound nook across from the bar , you might notice a single framed picture that hangs from the lamp above your head.

The archival image and text includes an 01863 photograph of Jessie Benton Fremont on the porch of a small victorian home nicknamed “Porters Lodge” that was situated at “Black Point” - the small rocky peninsula that is now the site of and .

Benton was the daughter of Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton and was married to military officer and early explorer John C. Fremont. Raised in Washington D.C., Benton was a prolific writer and author who brought political activism, abolitionist beliefs, and an intellectual sensibility to San Francisco (despite living at a time when women were discouraged from these activities) and drew intellectuals, celebrities, and artists, to literary and political salons held at the home.

It’s interesting to think that this particular part of San Francisco has been a place for conversation, discourse, and intellectual pursuits for over 160 years - a tradition that carries on to this day.

Link in bio to read more about Jessie Benton Fremont >

Big Weekend.If you think of the weekend as the two days between Friday and Monday - you might be missing out on a much b...
05/11/2024

Big Weekend.

If you think of the weekend as the two days between Friday and Monday - you might be missing out on a much bigger picture. But, if you think of this weekend through the lens of long term thinking, things get pretty exciting:

This weekend is really just part of a “Long Now” - a larger story that originates in the deep past and stretches far into the future - a pivotal moment in a grand 20,000 year timespan.

AND you will be living it out in a “Big Here” - the place you inhabit (your home, your town, your region) as inseparable from a larger geographical and ecological context (The whole Earth)

So, if laundry and house chores + brunch sound a bit boring for this weekend, try on some “Big Here and Long Now” thinking and make this a weekend to be remembered…

> Link in bio to read more about the “Big Here and Long Now” by Long Now Foundation Co-founder

Pace Yourself.Is the week already flying by? Is there too much to do, and too little time? Or, are you off the pace?If y...
05/07/2024

Pace Yourself.

Is the week already flying by? Is there too much to do, and too little time? Or, are you off the pace?

If you visit regularly, you’ve likely seen the above graphic (drawn by our resident robot illustrator, Otto) pictured above.

The “Pace Layers” framework, composed of 6 individually paced layers (ordered from fast to slow) is a tool for understanding how complex systems work.

The concept, first formulated by Long Now Foundation Co-Founders Stewart Brand and first appeared in Stewart Brand’s book - Clock of the Long Now (01998) and is used to describe how different components of civilization change at different speeds. It’s since been applied to work in engineering, design, management, education and more.

So if the week is flying by - or dragging along - visit link in bio to learn more about the concept, it might just help you reframe the pace of this week...

International Orange.The home of is . If you walk around a bit, you’ll discover many special structures, details, and s...
04/25/2024

International Orange.

The home of is . If you walk around a bit, you’ll discover many special structures, details, and spaces. Beyond the patina and historic details, you may also notice a familiar hue of orange vermillion… the same color employed on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Just another reason we love our home, and the reason you’ll find an “International Orange” cocktail on our menu…

We can almost see Friday from here…We’ll be opening today at 5:00p, stop in to get some perspective on the week.
04/18/2024

We can almost see Friday from here…

We’ll be opening today at 5:00p, stop in to get some perspective on the week.

More than a bar.More than just a bar and cafe, is also the headquarters of the Long Now Foundation - a nonprofit organi...
04/14/2024

More than a bar.

More than just a bar and cafe, is also the headquarters of the Long Now Foundation - a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering long-term thinking.

Not many (if any) bar in the world can boast of such a direct connection to a world-renowned foundation. Luckily, this connection and the ideas of long-term thinking have shaped the unique build of our space, the drinks we make, and the conversations that happen here on a daily basis.

Regardless of whether you come for the cocktails or the conversation, we’ll make sure that both are extraordinary.

Mirror Mirror.For those who've visited lately, you may have noticed "Ambient Painting #1" created by has been in a "b...
03/29/2024

Mirror Mirror.

For those who've visited lately, you may have noticed "Ambient Painting #1" created by has been in a "black period" - and is currently being repaired to present another 10 years of generative paintings.

In the pieces absence, and in that same space, we currently have a mirror - which also has a particular charm...

Stop by this evening to see our mirror and reflect on what drink you'll have next...

Monday Mother-in-Law.Make it a smooth start to your week by capping Monday with a visit from our “Mother-in-Law”.A varia...
03/25/2024

Monday Mother-in-Law.

Make it a smooth start to your week by capping Monday with a visit from our “Mother-in-Law”.

A variation upon a variation of a Sazerac, and allegedly authored by a New Orleanian mother-in-law sometime before the 1st world war, this delicious Bourbon, Maraschino, Curaçao, and bitters concoction is bold (but smooth) and served in a delightfully petite and frosty glass decanter for your evening drinking pleasure.

We recommend you call your mother-in-law this evening, you can thank us later…

Easy like Sunday evening.One of our favorite non-alcoholic cocktails is an easy sipper for a Sunday evening - and a gre...
03/25/2024

Easy like Sunday evening.

One of our favorite non-alcoholic cocktails is an easy sipper for a Sunday evening - and a great way to order if last night included a few too many drinks.

The “Bitter Old Fashioned” is a mix of
Chinotto (a delicious carbonated Italian soda made from Myrtle leaf oranges) bitters; served over ice with orange zest. Regardless of its non-alcoholic build, this cocktail is full of flavor, not too bitter, nor too sweet, and is guaranteed to refresh.

Happy St Patrick's Day.We don't serve green beer, but we do offer a green drink that never disappoints.This special St. ...
03/18/2024

Happy St Patrick's Day.

We don't serve green beer, but we do offer a green drink that never disappoints.

This special St. Patricks edition of our "Short Here" created by is as refreshing as Irish spring air, with a "head" of strawberry whipped cream that will bring a tear to the eye of even the most devout Guinness drinker. Who needs green beer when you can drink this?

So raise a glass to to the patron saint of Ireland, we'll provide the drink.

Slàinte!

Because Wine.Our cocktails may be exceptional, our beers frosty, and our coffee and tea may be superlative, but sometime...
03/14/2024

Because Wine.

Our cocktails may be exceptional, our beers frosty, and our coffee and tea may be superlative, but sometimes only a glass of wine will do.

We pour a number of great wines across the color spectrum, all tasted carefully by our staff and featuring an array of glasses and bottles from to name a few.

Pair them with a tin of trout, Marcona almonds, or olives and "Voila" it's the perfect picnic...

What do an order of monks have to do with your cocktail? Chartreuse, the name of a hue of bright yellow-green associated...
03/11/2024

What do an order of monks have to do with your cocktail?

Chartreuse, the name of a hue of bright yellow-green associated with safety vehicles, the occasional Aston Martin, and 80’s fashion, has roots that go back to the 01800s. The color takes its name from a resemblance to a liqueur produced by the Carthusian monks whose grand “Charterhouse” is situated in the Chartreuse Mountains north of Grenoble, France.

The order of Carthusians who formed in 01084 have produced the aforementioned liqueur for more than two centuries and build the spirit with 130 secretly held ingredients, which give it a complex herbal flavor and characteristic lime-green color.

How does this affect your cocktails? A revival of Chartreuse use fueled by revival of classics like the “Last Word” or the more recent “Green Point” + pandemic induced uptick in home mixology have doubled demand, while production by the order had been explicitly capped to respect the long-term monastic lifestyle of the monks and nuns who produce it. The result, a global shortage of the green stuff…

While we are always looking for (and experimenting with) alternatives for Chartreuse we still keep a closely guarded supply of the “original” for special occasions…

Your seat is waiting.The sun is just dipping behind the horizon, It’s Friday, and where there is a seat a delicious dri...
03/09/2024

Your seat is waiting.

The sun is just dipping behind the horizon, It’s Friday, and where there is a seat a delicious drink is surely not far behind.

If you’re one of the lucky few who has a bottle from our bottle reserve, stop in and we’ll pull one down to toast the end of the week.

theinterval

Long Term Painting.Upstairs lie the headquarters of the Long Now Foundation. This beautiful “loft” holds our signature ...
03/05/2024

Long Term Painting.

Upstairs lie the headquarters of the Long Now Foundation. This beautiful “loft” holds our signature library and a wealth of curiosities, including the beautiful work of artist, researcher, and conservationist - Isabella Kirkland.

Bay Area based Kirkland’s oil on canvas works are beautifully accurate depictions of plants and animals, exhaustively researched and meticulously rendered as still lives in the style of the Dutch Old Masters.

In one of her more recent works entitled “Gone” from her “Taxa” series, Kirkland employs classical oil techniques and materials that will last centuries, while depicting 63 animals and plants thought to have gone extinct since the mid 01800s. This tension between creating a lasting historical record and the rapid extinction that threatens the flora and fauna of our planet underscores the fact that Kirkland’s works are more than mere pretty pictures.

In addition to beautifying the walls of our upstairs office, Kirkland’s works are privately collected, displayed in galleries nationwide, and have graced the promotional campaign of Ryan Phelan’s Revive and Restore project.

To learn more about Isabella’s work and research, visit:
https://www.isabellakirkland.com

Spring in a glass.As light as fresh green grass, as bright as a lemon yellow sun, and finished with fluffy clouds over s...
03/03/2024

Spring in a glass.

As light as fresh green grass, as bright as a lemon yellow sun, and finished with fluffy clouds over strawberry fields, March has a new “Short Here” courtesy of ’s own .

Built with unexpected ingredients (matcha, oatmilk, strawberry whipped cream) crisp vodka, and a dried strawberry garnish, the “Workers Comp” feels like a day off from work, or a sunny stroll through a Studio Ghibli meadow.

So take that stroll to , take that extra day off, and order one…because just like workers comp, this drink won’t last forever.

Here's to spring. It may still be winter, the mornings may still be cold, and the weekend will see rain, but this past f...
02/29/2024

Here's to spring.

It may still be winter, the mornings may still be cold, and the weekend will see rain, but this past few days felt like the first glimmer of the coming season. As the groundhog said, spring is coming soon.

We are in fact just 19 days away from the beginning of spring and can already sense the excitement, the promise of warmth, sunlight, green things, and green drinks...

Address

Fort Mason Center, Bldg A
San Francisco, CA
94123

Opening Hours

Monday 5pm - 11pm
Tuesday 10am - 12am
Wednesday 10am - 11pm
Thursday 10am - 11pm
Friday 10am - 11pm
Saturday 1pm - 11pm
Sunday 1pm - 10pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Interval at Long Now posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Interval at Long Now:

Shortcuts

Share

Category